Most people don’t consider the health benefits when it comes to veggies, which is exactly what this category is. Just before this section I did talk about vegetables but let’s offer a slightly different angle to help you understand the importance here.

The reason we call it the forgotten macronutrient is because many people actually and literally forget about it. What’s for dinner, ‘steak and potatoes’. What about a roast, or even ‘fried chicken’, and how about a ‘fish and chips’.

Those are all staples in the SAD (Standard (North) American Diet). When is veggies listed, almost never likely because it makes kids and adults skin crawl all the same

Most likely because many didn’t grow up with veggies being a staple in their diet. Most people don’t know how to buy, prepare, or even store vegetables. Lucky for you, if you didn’t learn that growing up, you’ll be going through this program to teach you exactly that.

As of more recently a plant based diet has been gaining positive exposure and momentum in the field of health. It’s hard to pass by all the documented research, scientific evidence and case studies especially those that are now medication free after living a mostly plant based diet.

No it’s not for everyone, and even though I live a plant based diet I still enjoy meat or animal products once in awhile. Which is why you’ll see meat scattered throughout the meal plan. Not nearly as much as most would like. But remember to come in with an open and see what happens.

Some people have never even considered less meat in the diet. And some people have never even tried a supper meal without meat. My reply to that is, how do you know how you’ll feel without having meat in your diet if you never try?

You may just feel better than you ever have! But let me come back to meat in that ‘protein section’.

In my opinion most veggies are good for you. Of course we could talk most about spraying veggies with chemicals and growing specific seeds which I briefly mentioned in the GMO section. Which I recommend you stay away, like soy and corn.

After we eliminate GMO foods, the next step you may consider is eating organic fruits and veggies. Now let me mention I understand the health benefits of buying organic, but I also understand not everyone can buy organic all the time.

For those people that want to try some organic food to get started I’d recommend buying organic when it comes to the dirty dozen. What are the dirty dozen, they are the most heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables.

Protein is probably the most difficult macronutrient to discuss simply because we all grew up a certain way and to try and change the thought process is extremely difficult.

I’m not trying to change your thought process here, more so, I’m trying to show you that it doesn’t always have to be a certain way simply because that’s what you know.

We can get protein from different sources other than from meat or animal sources. But first let me explain the levels of protein and how I suggest we choose.

When it comes to most food, I like to take the utilization approach. So when it comes to these foods let’s talk about how our bodies process them.
In this order I’d suggest considering what ‘proteins’ you’ll add to each meal to make sure you have a complete macronutrients profile.

Eggs
Fish
Chicken
Turkey
Red Meat

Ok so from the list above we can see how I suggest we make our choices and in this case that’s from top to bottom and here is why.

Eggs, especially egg whites, process very quickly in the body which is a good thing. I know it may sound like I’m contradicting myself because I just talked about how we want slow digesting carbs in the last section. But carbs and proteins digest differently.

You want protein that is easier to digest but carbs that have fibre to slow digestion which actually helps with the entire process. If everything processes too quickly (like a sugar) then we don’t let our intestines, stomach acid and internal organs do their job.

Let’s say for example you have a meat (quick digesting), washed down with a glass of milk (again quick digestion) with a sweet potato which we now know is a simple or quick digesting carb, then we miss out on many different stages that the body can help with to improve digestion. This is a big issue with how we eat and how we live.

On top of that, in the evening we usually have this giant meal that isn’t easy to digest and we sit and watch tv the rest of the night. Instead of going for an evening walk to help that food digest in your body. And don’t get me started on alcohol right after a meal like that, right before bed no less and we wonder why we can’t sleep at night.

Back to the topic at hand. We have eggs at the top of the list, then a close second is fish. Remember that if you’re going to have fish, I’d suggest buying wild and avoiding farmed fish at all costs. Don’t eat fish from a can and make sure you’re taking your chlorella tabs before and or after any time you eat fish.

Chicken and turkey are also closely linked, have similar properties and are easier to digest which is why you’ll see this in the meal plan as well.

And finally growing up in Alberta, Canada it’s difficult to say, eat less red meat. But the truth is, it’s often found hard to digest, not because of the meal alone, but because of the type of meat, the size, how frequently it’s consumed and what is eaten with it

So if you’re going to have a steak try to find grass fed; enjoy a sweet potato instead of a white potato and have a good portion of veggies with. Make sure the veggies take up more of the plate than any other nutrient and try not marinate that steak in toxic flavours or sauces.

You can have a clean healthy steak once in a while and not feel guilty about it. And that’s now.

Plant Based Protein

Many people don’t know that you can get enough protein from plants. That goes back to how earlier I talked about when asked ‘what’s for dinner?’ The answer was often meat, like, ‘roast is for dinner’, for example.

All it is, is misinformation, it’s the simple fact that we’ve been misinformed but there’s nothing wrong with that. No one should feel guilty, I’m not trying to ridicule anyone regardless of beliefs, understanding or how most of us were raised in North America.

The health industry is often changing, we find new science, research and case studies all the time. Personally I think this is exciting! If nothing ever changed I’d say it would be a pretty boring industry to be in.

Many people live very healthy lives and haven’t touched meat in years. But where do they get their protein from? This question comes up more than I could explain. Let’s take Spirulina for example. Did you know spirulina has more protein than steak – cup for cup?

Crazy right?! How could a little tab of algae (more on this later) contain that much protein? I mean sure, most people aren’t going to have a cup of spirulina tabs or powder but I’m just using it as an example to let you know there are plenty of plants jam packed with protein.

Take hemp seeds for example, these little seeds are a complete protein which means they contain all of the amino acids that you would find in meat.

Hemp seeds are also high in healthy fats which means it could double as a protein and fat at the same time.

Then we have quinoa, which is in the same superfood category as hemp seeds. Quinoa is also a complete protein and a complex carb which means you get a good amount of both macronutrients (carbs and protein) by enjoying a serving of quinoa.

Then we could look at the combination of celery and cucumber, which also makes a complete protein and is detoxing as well. And then there’s the example of beans and rice. Try whole grain rice with the bean combination to make a complete protein.
The list goes on, there are many examples I can come up with to show you that you can get plenty of protein from plants alone. Am I saying you’ll get enough protein from having a green smoothie once a day?

No I’m not, I believe in balance, which is why I’m talking about all the macronutrients here. Enjoy a green smoothie in the morning like we recommend. Maybe you’ll have spirulina tabs throughout the day.

And why not enjoy a quinoa salad, with spinach, hemp seeds, avocado and your favourite veggies like the monster salad listed below.

And what about a protein smoothie once a day, that’s also jam packed with nutrients to improve digestion, increase energy and give you a protein boost that so many people are worried about?

Now that’s a great way to get all your nutrients and have a balance of macronutrients. I really feel like we miss out on vital nutrients (vitamins and minerals) our bodies need by not consuming all the macronutrients as often as possible in a single meal.

So what happens if we don’t get all the macronutrients and we miss out on vitamins our bodies need.

We could be craving throughout the day which is why we head straight to the pantry after work (because our body lacks nutrients),
We could run into a health issue for lack of nutrients. For example a lack of iron could cause anemia, which isn’t a good thing. Side note, algae has tons of iron if this is an issue for you.

And finally we’re forced to use pharmaceuticals which is many cases cause side effects which only equals more meds.

Carbohydrates often get a bad wrap because of the new diets out there where people try to avoid carbs all together. It’s extremely difficult to avoid carbs all together. Which makes restrictive diets that request few or no carbs at all seemingly impossible to follow.

Think about it, we have carbs in the morning for toast, oatmeal, french toast, or pancakes (which is usually created with a wheat product).

Then we often have a sandwich for lunch or a roll with a side salad. And it’s no different when it comes to supper. Which often includes pasta or pizza night, baked potatoes or another type of roll.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that. I’ll explain shortly that I believe carbs are a good thing if you pick the right ones and consume them in moderation.

You may have noticed as I explained the SAD includes carbs in every meal and not the best ones. We carb load almost every single day, and I didn’t even include fast food in that example.

It’s no one why as a society we’re overweight, we lack energy, we’re on multiple medications and on top of all that we in large part blame carbs because of it.

Carbs can actually be a good thing. They offer energy, they prevent you from being hungry and we know when we’re hungry we don’t make the best food choices. And they offer an abundance of vitamins and minerals as well.

Again, the problem is choosing the right type of carbs. So let’s talk about which ones those are, but first let’s talk about which to avoid.

Will eating fat make me fat? This question comes up quite frequently. The haunting fear that eating fats will put fat on your body. This myth simply isn’t true. I can assure you that eating fats will not make you fat!

There are a number of things that contribute to weight gain such as: eating low quality food like substances, overeating, lack of sleep and STRESS.

Eating proper portions of healthy fats will not cause weight gain.

In fact, healthy fats fuel our bodies and give us energy. Fats are one of the contributors to a well balanced whole foods diet along with plant based protein, healthy carbs and fiber.